A Fire Within
by Megalittlesparrow
Summary: Ginny is losing control of her inner turmoil. Can Draco get through to her before she destroys herself? Draco/Ginny
1. Unhappy Accident

I, of course, don't own Harry Potter, the characters, or anything else JK Rowling or Warner Bros thought up. I also don't own the music lyrics that I'll inevitably post along with some of the chapters. Enjoy!

Ginny 's sixth year at Hogwarts was starting out just as every other year had started out: tragic. Ever since she had kissed Harry last year things had gotten weird. She was somehow on the outside of the famous Trio. Of course, she'd always been on the outside but now she actually felt it. Ron's love life was going perfectly, so he hadn't noticed the change that had taken place in his younger sister. Hermoine was the other half of that perfect love life and too consumed in Ginny's older brother notice anything amiss. If Harry Potter hadn't been so thorough in avoiding her, Ginny's condition may have been caught earlier. But no one had noticed, except for a certain blond Slytherin, but I digress. I'm getting ahead of myself.

At sixteen, Ginny was slender with fiery red hair and bright brown eyes. She was still much shorter than most of her classmates, but that never seemed of much consequence to her. After her fourth year, she'd started slacking off in the friendship department, devoting all her time to Harry and his endeavors. Now she was rather alone and utterly miserable. She had no particular reason to be so miserable, she just was. It was as if she didn't feel right in her own skin. It was as if something dark, blistering, and dangerous were growing in her and for her fifth year of school, she'd succeeded in tamping it down inside of her. But over the summer, Harry started dating Cho Chang and things were getting out of hand.

It started on the carriage ride to Hogwarts at the start of her sixth year. Nearly last to get off the train, she was stuck in a carriage with what she considered to be her last choice in companions: Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, Crabbe and Goyle, as well as Blaise Zabini. It was just her luck to be saddled with the most moronic group of Slytherins. Pansy was drooling all over Malfoy since he'd received the Head Boy badge over the summer. _Who on earth thought it was a good idea to give Malfoy such power?_ She wondered as she looked at the shiny badge pinned neatly to his black robes. "Like power do you, Weaselette?" Malfoy sneered at her. She couldn't help feeling the ice from Pansy's glare as well. She felt the need to retort but somehow she just didn't have the heart to come out with a really good jab. "Just staring at the giant smudge your greasy girlfriend has made, that's all." She replied half heartedly and turned to look out at the Forbidden Forest as it passed by.

Pansy squealed as she nearly toppled out of the carriage when Draco shoved her away from him and started meticulously glossing up his badge. The icy glare got sharper since Pansy was banished to the other side of the carriage for the rest of the ride. Draco's curious glances didn't escape the dark haired girl's notice either. Ginny on the other hand was oblivious to everything, just wishing to get through the feast and onto bed where she could dissolve into oblivion, at least for a small time. She certainly wasn't looking forward to sitting at the table and watching the other Gryffindors laugh and catch up. She knew that she'd just feel more alone.

And it was true. The Feast was a dismal and gray experience for Ginny. It was as if everyone around her was in fast forward and she was sitting on pause. Everyone was congratulating Hermoine Granger for her Head Girl honor. It was so obvious that 'Moine was going to be the one to get Head Girl, but still they carried on as if it were such a surprise. Ginny barely touched the food and rarely made eye contact with anyone unless completely necessary. And when it was necessary, her smiles and words seemed fake and brittle, as if the slightest jar would bring her shattering to the ground. Sitting by herself at the very end of the Gryffindor table, she could feel eyes against her back as if she were being watched. Every time she looked up though, she found all the others consumed in their own business. It was very likely that no one noticed when the youngest Weasley left the feast early. Everyone was preoccupied, except Draco Malfoy, his stormy gray eyes followed the redhead as she slipped out the Great Hall doors and into the hallway.

"You know, you're not supposed to be out in the hall until the Feast is over." Malfoy's voice was syrupy and slow. Ginny's whole body seemed to stiffen, to be antagonized by Draco Malfoy was just what she wanted to top off her exhausting night. But she was on guard and she turned slowly to face him, her hand automatically sliding her wand from her robes. "Now, now, no need for-" he started, but never finished. It was as if someone had sucked the air from him. Draco was staring amazed at Ginny and her grip tightened on the handle of her wand. "What are you playing at?" she asked cautiously. Draco closed the space between them in two steps and had her by the shoulders in a matter of seconds. She was too shocked to do anything as he turned her to face a darkened window.

Instead seeing an auburn-haired, tired looking girl and a tall golden boy in the reflection of the window, Ginny saw a slight girl with blazing fire-like hair that lifted slightly as if by a nonexistent wind with giant dark eyes that were as black as the sky beyond the glass. The stark contrast between her strange appearance and the light reflection of Draco was shocking. Ginny took a step back, bumping into the tall Slytherin who still had his hands on her shoulders. "A-ah, I-" Ginny stuttered, horrified at her reflection, but her eyes stayed glued to the glass. It was as if someone had morphed her appearance into a strange monster from a storybook. And as she watched, the reflection faded: the fire returning to auburn, black fading to light brown. The ordinary reflection in the glass was now shaking violently. Ginny jerked out of Malfoy's grip and turned to face him, the shock still etched in her features almost matching his own confused look. Without a word she took a step backward and turned to race down the corridor toward the Gryffindor tower leaving Draco to wonder what had just happened.


	2. A Freak Show

Ginny lay on her bed in the empty dorm room staring at the red drapings. What had just happened to her? Why had it happened, and in front of Draco Malfoy of all people! Now he was probably going to go blab to everyone about what a complete freak she is. The school year was turning into a nightmare before it ever really got started. Now she'd be the school's sideshow, which was a pretty difficult thing to become considering she was in a school full of wizards and witches. And her brother would find out and that meant she'd be getting howlers from her mother wondering what she'd done to become such a remarkable mutant… Ginny's life was only going to get more difficult from this and it was all thanks to a certain Slytherin who had to butt his way into everyone's business.

She was panicking. This situation had gotten out of control and the first school day hadn't even been completed yet. Her chest rose and fell in swift movements, hyperventilating from the mere thought of having to face other students, even her own dorm mates. It felt like hot lava had replaced whatever was in her stomach and it was surging its way to the surface. No… it didn't just feel like it, that's what was happening. Ginny leaned over the edge of the bed in time to retch onto the floor. But as she rubbed a shaky hand across her mouth, bile isn't what had made an appearance. It wasn't even the measly dinner she'd forced down. Ginny was staring at a pile of what looked like wet ashes. It was as if someone had cleaned the fireplace grate and dumped a pail of water on it. When she looked at her hand, the sooty mixture was there too, from where she'd rubbed at her mouth. What was happening to her?

Ginny didn't take long to ponder the oddities of life just yet. She knew the feast would be over soon and the common room and dorms would be swarming with excited schoolmates. She had to get rid of the evidence. She sprang out of bed, no longer feeling the boiling sensation in her stomach, and snatched up her wand. She looked around for a place to dispose of the mess and her eyes landed on the window. With a few flicks of her wrist the window was thrown open and the pile of soggy ashes was tossed out into the wind. As she heard footsteps up the stairs, Ginny flipped the window closed and nearly dove into her trunk; she hadn't had time to clean herself up. She wiped her mouth with a spare robe as the door opened and girls piled into the room chattering noisily about their expectations for the new school year. And rubbing tears from her eyes, Ginny Weasley turned to face her roommates with her fragile smile perfectly in place.

Draco sat on the edge of a couch in the Slytherin common room staring into the fire. He'd not had the stomach to return to the Hall for dessert and so had moved directly on to his dorm after his encounter with the youngest Weasley sibling. With his chin in his hands he barely noticed the procession of other Slytherin students filing into the common room after the feast had let out. He barely noticed anyone until Pansy Parkinson hopped onto the couch next to him and began breathing in his ear. Usually this would have been a perfect opportunity for them to escape to a dark corner and snog for a bit, but Draco wasn't in the mood. He was too perplexed and, could it be true… worried, to deal with Parkinson's clingy habits. She elbowed her roughly to the other end of the couch and stood, not taking his eyes from the flames in the fireplace. Flames like Ginny Weasley's hair. Flames that gave off heat like her sizzling skin when he'd placed his hands on her shoulders.

What had happened in that hallway? What was the youngest Weasley hiding? He had to find out. He vaguely heard Pansy speak as he made his way toward the common room exit. "Draco! Where are you going?" Her voice was grating to his nerves. "Not that I need to answer you; I'm going to do my Head Boy rounds. I have responsibilities now." He didn't even face her as he spoke, still heading for the exit. He could almost see her pouting. "Well, what's got you in a twist…" But he was already stepping into the dungeon hallway. He was utterly preoccupied.

He marched directly up the stairs toward the Gryffindor tower. Sure, he wasn't allowed in, even if he was Head Boy, but maybe she was the type that broke curfew when she needed to think. He watched students wander in from his place in the shadows. Most of them were scurrying to make it before Filch and the other professors would be on watch for students out of bed. Draco's blond hair stuck to his neck and temples, what was it about this situation that made him cautious to tell others. Usually he would have had a few could laughs about the freak show he'd witnessed, but tonight it was different. Something was wrong with Ginny. He'd noticed in during their carriage ride, something in her had changed dramatically and he wanted to find out what it was.

Draco watched as Hermione Granger left for her rounds and the halls became silent. He slid down the wall into a sitting position, determined not to miss the redhead if she were to sneak out. Had she known she had the abilities to change her appearance like that? Had she done it purposely? She certainly looked surprised when he'd shown her the reflection in the window. Ginny didn't seem to realize that change had occurred until he pointed it out. No, something was going on with Ginny that even she didn't seem to understand.

Light crept through the tower windows as a Draco raised his head. He'd been there all night waiting and must have dozed off. He hoped he hadn't missed the Weaslette, but he also didn't know how long he'd been out. He stood painfully, cramping from the long hours spent in his awkward pose. He decided to send her an owl later; he had to get back to the Slytherin common room before someone realized that he'd never returned the night before.


End file.
